Gardening for Wellness & Joy: White Strawberries

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Asparagus is one of the most boujee perennial crops to put into your S&P 500—(perennial garden investment portfolio) but getting it right starts long before the first harvest.

In this episode of White Strawberries, I walk you through everything you need to know about planting asparagus crowns, preparing the perfect soil, and creating a bed that will produce for decades- and also not doing any of things and giving a go anyway... 👌
 I also share how I'm establishing asparagus in my own food forest.
Whether you're planting your very first crowns or adding asparagus to an established garden, this episode will help you create a productive patch that keeps rewarding you year after year.
🌱 What You'll Discover
 Why most gardeners choose crowns instead of growing from seed 
 How to prepare an asparagus bed that lasts for decades 
 The soil conditions asparagus loves 
 Traditional trench planting versus modern no-dig methods 
 When to harvest—and when to leave your plants alone 
 How many asparagus plants you need to feed your family 

🔗 Resources Mentioned
 Grounded Waitlist
 
🎧 Previous White Strawberries Episodes Mentioned
 Animal Manure in the Garden
Ask a Question – Submit a gardening question for a future episode.
About Sam – Learn more about the host of White Strawberries.
Support the Podcast – Buy Sam a Cuppa to help keep new episodes coming.
Join Grounded – Be first to hear when the course opens.

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What if the best mulch isn't something you buy or wheel around the garden—but something that's already growing?
In this conversation with Kath Irvine, author of The Edible Backyard, we explore the science and practical application of living mulch. Instead of constantly importing straw, compost, or woodchips, Kath explains how diverse, living plants can protect the soil, feed soil biology, reduce weeds, build resilience, and ultimately create a healthier garden with less work.
We discuss why diversity matters, how plant roots feed soil microbes, why chopping plants can be better than pulling them out, and how to introduce living mulch into both vegetable gardens and orchards. We also tackle some of the difficult realities of gardening—including invasive weeds, compost overuse, and when there may not be a perfect solution.
If you're aiming for a low-input, high-output garden that works more like nature, this episode will challenge many of the gardening "rules" we've been taught.
🌱 What You'll Discover
 What living mulch is and how it differs from traditional mulch 
 Why plant diversity creates healthier, more resilient soil 
 How living roots feed soil biology through photosynthesis 
 Practical ways to introduce living mulch into vegetable gardens 
 Creating productive orchards with perennial companion plants 
 Why "chop and drop" often beats pulling weeds 
 The surprising downside of using too much compost 
 Choosing and saving seeds for diverse living mulch mixes 
 Managing difficult weeds without becoming overwhelmed 
 Why observation may be the most important gardening skill of all 
📚 References & Resources Mentioned
The Edible Backyard — Kath Irvine 
Homegrown Fruit — Kath Irvine 
Kath Irvine's website

Referenced
 Dr Christine Jones' work on soil biology and plant diversity

 The Jena Experiment (Germany) — biodiversity and ecosystem resilience

🎧 Previous White Strawberries Episodes You Might Enjoy
Mulch and Ground Covers | Mastering the Garden
 
Companion Planting: Figs, Grapes, Olives & Companions | Mastering the Garden
 
Ask a Question – Submit a gardening question for a future episode.
About Sam – Learn more about the host of White Strawberries.
Support the Podcast – Buy Sam a Cuppa to help keep new episodes coming.
Join Grounded – Be first to hear when the course opens.

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What does it take to transform a bare paddock into a thriving food forest?
In this episode of White Strawberries, I’m joined by Jo Duff, co-founder of Kahikatea Farm, who shares the lessons she has learned after more than 20 years developing a three-acre food forest in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Jo and her family started with bare land — no water, driveway, or buildings — and slowly designed a productive ecosystem using permaculture principles, observation, and experimentation. 
We discuss passive irrigation using swales, designing for dry climates, growing plants suited to your conditions, and why Jo would plant more densely if she was starting again.
🌱 What You’ll Discover
 How a bare paddock became a three-acre food forest 
 Why observation should come before planting 
 How swales can capture rainfall and support tree growth 
 The importance of planting for function: biomass, fertility, food, medicine and habitat 
 Why food forests are about creating a place to live, not just growing food 
 Lessons Jo would apply if she started again 
Jo also shares some of the plants that have worked well in her Hawke’s Bay climate, including comfrey, prickly pear, tree lucerne, globe artichokes and other multifunctional plants.
🔗 Resources Mentioned
Kahikatea Farm – Food Forest Nursery, Plants & Education

Kahikatea Farm plants mentioned in this episode:
Peaches
Dwarf Peach

Prickly Pear (Opuntia / Nopales)
Thornless Prickly Pear

Comfrey (biomass plant)
Russian Comfrey

Lemon Sorrel

Globe Artichoke (biomass plant)

Cardoon (biomass plant)

Willows (woody biomass)
Examples include Willow ‘Hiwinui’ and Willow ‘Tangoio’

Tree Lucerne / Tagasaste (biomass and nitrogen fixer)

Alder (nitrogen-fixing tree)
Chinese Alder

Yuccas

Buttercup Bush / Senna

Eucalyptus (support species / biomass)

Explore all Kahikatea Farm plants
Certified Organic Nursery – edible, useful and food forest plants

Join Kahikatea Farm for some onsite education. 
Ask a Question – Submit a gardening question for a future episode.
About Sam – Learn more about the host of White Strawberries.
Support the Podcast – Buy Sam a Cuppa to help keep new episodes coming.
Join Grounded – Be first to hear when the course opens.

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Sam missed an episode! Why?
Taking time to pause, reflect, and reset is just as important in life as it is in the garden 🌱
In this personal episode of White Strawberries, I’m sharing a behind-the-scenes look at the podcast after nearly a year of consistent episodes. From humble beginnings (yes… five downloads and my mum falling asleep 😅) to growing a global audience, this episode dives into what’s working, what’s been surprisingly hard, and what’s coming next.
With the lead-up to Matariki, I’m stepping into a seasonal reset — reflecting on the past six months and intentionally designing the next phase of this podcast, my courses, and how I support you.
If you’ve ever wondered what it really takes to build something from scratch — or you’re on your own journey of growth — this one’s for you.
🌱 What You’ll Discover
 What I’ve learned after 45 podcast episodes 
 Real podcast growth stats
 The hidden complexity of email lists, websites, and automation 
 Why I’m taking a month off and what I’m resetting 
 The vision behind my Grounded gardening course 
 I've reduced my grocery bill while eating high-quality food 
 Why growing your own food is becoming more important than ever 
 How you can shape future episodes through Q&A and voice messages 
🔗 References & Resources Mentioned
 Grounded Course (coming soon) 
 White Strawberries Podcast Website (in progress) 
🎧 Previous White Strawberries Episodes You Might Enjoy

Ask a Question – Submit a gardening question for a future episode.
About Sam – Learn more about the host of White Strawberries.
Support the Podcast – Buy Sam a Cuppa to help keep new episodes coming.
Join Grounded – Be first to hear when the course opens.

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🌱 Before you plant another single tree, there’s one step that can save you years of frustration: observation.
In this Mastering the Garden episode of White Strawberries, I walk you through how to understand your land before you grow — from mapping shade and wind to testing soil, water movement, and frost patterns.
Using real examples (including why my mum’s feijoas fruit weeks before mine just 12 minutes away), we explore how small environmental differences shape what thrives — and what struggles.
This episode is your practical guide to working with your land instead of against it, using simple, often free tests to build a resilient, abundant garden.
🌿 If you’ve ever felt like you don’t have a “green thumb,” this might be the missing piece.
🌱 What You’ll Discover
 How to map shade across seasons and use it to your advantage 
 What wind patterns reveal about plant placement and disease risk 
 How frost moves through your land — and how to work with it 
 Simple ways to observe water flow, drainage, and waterlogging
 Easy at-home soil tests (including structure and moisture checks) 
 How weeds can give clues about your soil conditions 
 Why climate zones (like USDA) are helpful — but limited 

🔗 References & Resources Mentioned
 Permaculture Research Soil Test Handbook — by Chris Trump & collaborators 
 iNaturalist (plant identification app) 
 Seek by iNaturalist (child-friendly version) 

🎧 Previous White Strawberries Episodes Referred to
 How I Saved My Garden from Summer Storms, Flooding and Wind (Episode 37). Look it up on your platform 🤗
Ask a Question – Submit a gardening question for a future episode.
About Sam – Learn more about the host of White Strawberries.
Support the Podcast – Buy Sam a Cuppa to help keep new episodes coming.
Join Grounded – Be first to hear when the course opens.